


The Night Before (Life Goes On)

by youremykindagirl



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Garage Au, mechanic!bellamy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 15:56:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3734749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youremykindagirl/pseuds/youremykindagirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on Carrie Underwood's 'The Night Before (Life Goes On) - already posted to tumblr</p>
<p>Or the AU where Clarke's leaving everyone behind for college and sits on a rooftop with Bellamy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Night Before (Life Goes On)

The nights had started getting shorter as summer came to a close and all too often Clarke found herself sitting up on the roof of her father's garage, wishing she could chase the last of the light in the sky and hang on a little longer. Below her, Jasper was closing the garage doors and Raven was finishing up in the office, and Clarke just wanted everything to slow down.

The sound of the heavy door closing behind her made her take a deep breath and focus on what was left of her time. She held her breath and let the smoke make host of her mouth and let out a deep breath, pushing it away before putting the cigarette out. (It didn't matter to her mother that she didn't really inhale, she'd still get chewed out when she smelt Clarke).

A pair of clunky old boots approached slowly and she refused to acknowledge him just yet. It wasn't until she felt his familiar flannel jacket being draped over her shoulders that she cracked a smile and looked over her shoulder in time to feel him slide up behind her. His legs lined hers and while she nuzzled her head against his shoulder, he wrapped both arms  around her waist, hugging her tightly for a moment. When his hold slackened and he relaxed behind her, he dropped one hand to pick up the abandoned box and lighter sitting by her purse and fished one out for himself.

"It's not even cold." She murmured, toying with the too-long sleeves of his jacket that lay limply on his legs.

He put the lighter in her hand and rested his chin on her shoulder, cigarette between his lips, and Clarke humored him, lighting it for him in her periphery. After a long pause, a moment for Bellamy to let the stress of the last few hours to get foggy and heavy before pushing it away, he dropped his forehead against her shoulder.

"I like takin' care of you, Princess."

There was so much going unsaid the last few weeks. Because when they did face it head on, there was nothing but fighting or tears or denial. But sometimes, when he finally cracked - just for her - it blew her away.

"Yeah, me too."

She loved this - time alone with Bellamy, the smell of his jacket, of motor oil, and the cloud of smoke encircling them. She loved the hard feel of his chest keeping her upright and his arms and legs acting as a throne of sorts as they sat up high, looking out at the rest of the town. She loved this place and her friends (who she could hear talking and laughing along with the clang of tools in the garage being carefully put away) and most of all, she loved the boy (man) behind her and how happy she was in this moment.

"These still remind me of your dad." He chuckled, so deep it vibrated through her as well.  She glanced to her side to see that he was still holding the box of  Newports and cracked a small smile. "You shouldn't even have these things."

"Oh,  _come_   _on_."

"Second hand smoke kills, Clarke." He said, still teasing, but he would always worry. He'd been cutting back but it was a long and difficult process. She wasn't really helping.

"If it doesn't, you will."

"Ouch. Ye of little faith."

She felt his hand move up to her shoulder, smokes long forgotten, and he brushed her blond waves aside and kissed her just under her ear.

"You know, he'd want you to go too." Bellamy said quiet and low that she couldn't even muster the energy to be mad.

His arms around her middle tightened, maybe in fear that she'd push him away and get in her stance but she simply grabbed his free hand and brushed her thumb over his grease stained knuckles.

"Yeah?"                           

"Yup. And he'd probably want me to go with you."

"Yeah, he would. But you can't." She said sadly, lacing her fingers through his, mindful of the cigarette. "You're the only thing keeping this place open, Bell. And Octavia, you could never be away from Octavia."

She'd been telling him all summer, but he never really seemed to accept it. Abby was torn between working at the hospital and running the office, and when school started, Raven would only be on part-time. Jasper and Monty were struggling when it was just the two of them, but Bellamy...

Bellamy was order in the chaos. He was calm and steely and determined and the garage needed that. She couldn't take him away. As much as she wanted to. And most of all, whether Octavia could handle it or not, he couldn't deal with leaving her behind and he couldn't make her come with him.

"I know." He admitted against the shell of her ear. "Doesn't mean I don't wish I could."

Clarke felt her chest tighten and her lip quiver a little.

13 hours. They still had 13 hours. That was a lot of time, really. A lifetime to some bugs.

"You promise me something?" He asked, hand smoothing over her stomach before wrapping itself around her bare hip.

She twisted herself enough that she could look at him and he saw the crease between her eyebrows and she caught sight of the cigarette in his hand and it deepened.

"Promise me you'll try out there."

When she didn't say anything, his tongue wet his lip and his mouth opened slightly in search of a better explanation though he was sure she got it. She knew exactly what he meant.

"I know you're going to miss us, and believe me, we'll be missing you too but you're going to have so many opportunities. Make the most of what you've got. Okay?"

All she could was nod so the back of her head rubbed against his shoulder and her hair got all mussed up.  She felt herself getting a little choked up then, already imagining herself holed up in her dorm room and wishing she was with him.

The air was thinning and since the sun had gone down the breeze had picked up even more and she was grateful for the jacket draped over that smelled like home. She wondered if she could sneak it into one of her boxes without him noticing.

Below them they heard Jasper and Raven step out of the office and go around the compound to make sure everything was locked. They stayed quiet until they're friends gave them a wave reminded them that they'd be waiting at Monty's house whenever they were ready and drove off.

"I love you so much." She said dully, like it was a curse.

He let the smoke fall lazily from his mouth and she tried not to think about not tasting it on his tongue for weeks at a time. He put out the butt and flicked it away and she wondered if it was possible to be addicted to another person the way Bellamy was nicotine.

"I love you too."

It wasn't goodbye, but it felt like it was. Like somewhere in the next half-day he wouldn't be able to tell her how he wants to. He will show her and hold her tonight, but in the morning she has so many others to leave behind. It would be too much to leave it 'til then. 

"But you'll come home, and I'll visit. Four years will just fly by." His soft and careful words were an oath that he couldn't actually make true, but she wanted to believe him so she did.

Later that night when all of their friends had called it a night and they'd gone back to Bellamy's, exhausted themselves twice over - he told her nicotine's hold on him was nothing compared to hers.

Much later that night when they were alone in bed--after exhausting themselves twice over-- Bellamy told her that nicotine's hold on him was nothing compared to hers.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave comments - of the constructive persuasion - and let me know what you think. 
> 
> I haven't written much at all for these two and would like to know what you think of my versions of them. Sometimes it feels painfully off, but you learn by doing, right?


End file.
